Local school officials and police monitoring schools amid nationwide TikTok trend
The Madison Central School District, along with the Madison Police Department, made district residents aware Thursday of a post made on the social media platform TikTok that refers to a threat to school safety on Friday, December 17th.
Superintendent Joel Jorgenson said the post appears to be part of a national TikTok trend and did not originate within the school district. He said that they heard reports from other districts that the same post is circulating in their schools. Jorgenson said they do not believe the threat to be credible, but they are closely monitoring the situation and taking it very seriously.
The Madison Police Department will have an increased police presence in and around the school’s buildings Friday as an added precaution.
They encourage parents and families to monitor their children’s social media activity and speak with them about proper behavior online. Any threat made to a school is a crime and will be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
E-mail notification sent to parents:
December 16, 2021
Good afternoon,
The following information was shared with schools today from the AASA. (American Association of School Administrators)
Today, the Madison Central School District was made aware of a troubling post that has been shared widely this week on the social media platform TikTok. The post refers to a threat to school safety “for every school in the USA, even elementary,” on Friday, December 17.
The post appears to be part of a national TikTok trend and did not originate in our school district. We have heard reports from other districts that the same post is circulating in their schools. We do not believe the threat to be credible, however, we are closely monitoring the situation and taking it very seriously.
Additionally, the Madison Police Department will have an increased police presence in and around our buildings on Friday as an added precaution.
This situation serves as a good example of why it is important to avoid sharing posts online that refer to school safety threats. Even if they are not credible threats, they can cause a great deal of stress and anxiety for our students, families, and staff.
We ask our families to monitor their children’s social media activity and speak with them about proper behavior online. Any threat made to a school is a crime and will be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
If you or your child become aware of any potential threat posted to social media or anywhere else, please notify a school staff member or trusted adult immediately.
As always, thank you for your partnership as we work to ensure a safe, secure, and positive learning environment for our students.
Sincerely,
Joel Jorgenson
Superintendent Madison Central
Justin Meyer
Madison Police Chief
Ben Gant
School Resource Officer